Not the same
by EndlessGhostfire
Summary: Pairing: Sebby/Grell. Grell gets kidnapped and goes missing, after a year of his disappearance, he comes back, but will he be the same eccentric reaper? Rated M for violent scenes, torture, a tad bit of angst, and for a possible smut chapter at the end if you're good.
1. Hurt

The first thing Grell could feel was pain. He felt his hair was damp with something on the right side by his crown and tried to move his arms to investigate. It was then the reaper realized he was chained to a wall, each wrist being stretched and pulled up so they were above his head. The redhead closed his eyes, realizing someone had taken his clothes, save for his pair of trousers to preserve his dignity, and his glasses, so the world around him was a little bit fuzzy.

"What happened?" He asked himself, his voice echoing in the cold, stone room he was chained in.

Grell opened his eyes, searching for an escape plan or something that could help him find out how he'd gotten there. What he saw instead made his skin pale.

Infront of the chained reaper lay a table filled with every type of torture instrument you could find, and Grell would know, as an expert in that kind of thing.

Grell began to breathe fast, violently searching for a way out, tugging on the chains around his wrists and, as he found out when he tried to kick out, his ankles.

The sudden scraping of a metal door made Grell stop struggling and look straight ahead, squinting as he couldn't see much far away without his glasses.

"So." A greasy voice rang out, making Grell shiver. "You're awake"

Grell heard a pair of rubber gloves being snapped on.

Even though the reaper was terrified, he didn't let it show, knowing in the back of his mind that he was going to pay for it.

"Look, mister. I don't see the point in kidnapping me. It's not a nice way to treat a lady. What's your motif?"

He heard a laugh, "I don't need one. I just like pretty things." A strong finger came under Grell's chin and forced it upwards, the stench of his kidnapper almost making Grell wretch. "And since all of my other pretty things broke too easily, I decided to opt for a nice little pretty thing who was immortal. Can't break so easily"

Grell growled, showing his chapter his pointed teeth, "You'll never get aqua with sic a crime!" He snarled, struggling against the chains, "People will come looking for me. My friends!"

The laugh Grell heard next turned his stomach. "What friends? I've bee watching you for weeks. You don't have anyone who loves you, no one who cares about you. No one will bother looking for you!"

Grell's heart suddenly felt a tonne heavier. He always knew he was a loner, that he was annoying to everybody. He'd been told it numerous times by the people he knew, but for some reason hearing it from a complete stranger, his capter nonetheless, made it finally sink in.

Grell was too heartbroken to hear his kidnapper say, 'now, shall we begin', and even the first lash of the whip against his bare chest didn't feel as bad as the pain he felt inside.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Sebastian sighed, along with his young master. "Such bad manners..." The demon muttered.

"Sebastian, go and see who is knocking so rudely at this time of night" Ciel ordered, shuffling the papers infront of him on his desk.

The demon bowed slightly and exited the room, walking through the manor until he got to the lavish front double doors.

Sighing once more as the banging still didn't cease, he swiftly opened the door, glaring at the person who occupied the doorstep.

"William. T. Spears. What do you want?" Sebastian asked tiredly.

Will was furious, poking his head inside the door to look around behind Sebastian.

"Where is Grell?!"

Sebastian sighed, "That troublesome reaper isn't here, Mr Spears. If you wanted to stop losing him, perhaps try and control him better"

William pointed an accusing finger at Sebastian. "Listen, demon. I know Grell likes to come here and swoon over you, heaven knows why, and that he's probably been here since the 2nd of this month!"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, "You've lost him for two weeks?"

The reaper growled, getting his temper back in order and pushing his glasses further up his nose. "He's not been seen by anyone for a fortnight. I am only following up now because there is so much paperwork overdue" He huffed impatiently, obviously very annoyed.

Sebastian bit back a smirk at how irritated the reaper looked and shook his head. "He hasn't been here. Come to think of it, the last time he /graced/ us with a visit was around the 2nd."

William suddenly turned on him...again.

"You've done something to him, haven't you?"

"Of course not. My master has ordered me not to. And besides, I thought you hated Grell?"

"I do! It's just he's running behind on his paperwork!"

"Could I suggest getting a replacement?"

William opened his mouth to say something, then recomposed himself. "Fine. I'll get a replacement. Send him /straight/ to me if you see him. Until then, goodbye /demon/" The reaper said, before disappearing.

Sebastian slowly closed the door, smirking. "Such lovely guests we have here" he muttered to himself, before returning to his master.

An hour later, when the butler had loyally put his future meal to bed, and was halfway through preparing the meals for tomorrow, that he started thinking back to the conversation he had had with William.

Grell had not been seen for two weeks? Much unlike him. He usually strives for the slightest bit of attention. Maybe he had gotten killed? No, William would have been alerted.

Frowning, Sebastian began to ponder as to where the eccentric reaper had gone, making a mental note to secretly ask the Undertaker when he and his master were next at his shop, before going to bed himself.


	2. Guilt

"Sebastian, we have a case"

"...Sebastian?"

"Hey, Sebastian!"

"SEBASTIAN!"

The demon in question jumped slightly out of his thoughts and looked down at Ciel, who was looking very angry.

"Oh, sorry, master, I was lost in my thoughts. Please forgive me" Sebastian said politely, although slightly annoyed that he still wasn't able to eat the child's soul yet, it had been another year.

Ciel gave an unamused hum, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair, arms across his chest. "You've been doing that too much. These past months you've been very distracted. Is there anything of importance I should know about?"

The fact that you forbade me from seeking out a possibly hurt reaper? Oh, nothing, young master. Sebastian would have given anything to say that, but instead shook his head.

"Nothing, master, I'll make sure it doesn't affect my work" He said with a short bow.

"Make sure it doesn't" Ciel muttered, turning back to his papers. Sebastian's eyes quickly flared as he kept down the anger he was holding back.

"You mentioned a case, Master?"

"Oh yes, it seems that young girls are dissapearing around London, and then found again, obviously tortured, in a random alley." Ciel glanced up at Sebastian with his one uncovered eye, "I thought this is the antics of a certain red reaper, but you have informed me that he has been absent for the past 12 months. What a relief"

A part of Sebastian wanted to rip the teenager's head off there and then. The demon, over the past year, had grown more and more guilty because he was unable to try and find Grell. It took up his every thought, and began affecting his work around the mansion. He tried to convince himself that he was better without that annoying red thing constantly hanging off his arm like a leech, but he had, for some reason, came to miss him. Not that the demon would admit these feelings to anyone unless they had a death wish.

He forced a smile, "Yes, quite a relief, Master. Although, if I am permitted to say, Grell has been very helpful in the past. He has recued you a few times." He said, trying to put Grell in more of a good light.

Ciel scoffed, "We're all better without him, I'd say"

At this, Sebastian grew silent and changed the subject back onto the case at hand.

Ciel shuffled through the papers and found the one he was looking for.

"I was trying to find something that connected the woman who were killed, and came up with a blank at first. They weren't related, visited the same doctor, etc etc. I almost gave up and passed these off as random killings, until I saw the death reports. Every single woman was wearing red, or had red hair."

A tingle went up Sebastian's back. Grell?

"To get more evidence, I think we need to visit the Undertaker."

Sebastian bowed quickly, "Of course, Master, I'll fetch the carriage immediately"

The ride into London was a quiet one. Finny drove so Ciel could fill Sebastian in on the case, but, after three and a half minutes of his master rambling, they fell into silence. Sebastian stared out of the window at the scenery flying by, his mind only on one thing.

Is Grell doing this? Why would he disappear for a year, then suddenly start randomly killing again. Not him, then. But Sebastian couldn't help but hope.

In the first few months of Grell's disappearance, Sebastian was in a constant state of self hate. He denied he even began to feel emotions until the six month marker, where he got really worried.

They shortly arrived at the street to the alley where the Undertaker's shop was situated and Sebastian leapt out of the carriage, holding the door open as Ciel got out. Being almost 16, the teenager refused any help getting in or out of carriages anymore.

Together, they walked single file, Ciel in the front with Sebastian following, to the Undertaker's shop.  
The moment the old door bell sounded as they entered, the eccentric retired reaper came out from the back room, giving them his usual wide smile, a dog biscuit between his lips.

"Ah, the young master Ciel, how can I help you this evening? Here, come, come, take a seat" He said, perching himself ontop of one of the coffins. Sebastian and Ciel did the same, but on the opposite coffin, turning down the jar of dog biscuits the Undertaker so politely offered them.

"Eheheh, all the more for me, then" he said, taking another one out and slipping it into his mouth. "So, how may I be of assistance?"

Ciel frowned, "Stop acting the dumb, Undertaker, you know very well why I'm here."

"Eheh, of course I do." The reaper smiled widely and crossed his legs under his long black robe. "The recent murders of the pretty wome-"

The door bell rang.

Everyone turned, their eyes widening.

Sebastian was the first to speak.

"G-Grell?!"


	3. Shock

"G-Grell?!"

No one said a thing as they watched the fugure in the door. If it wasn't for asebastian, Ciel wouldn't have recognised him.

Grell was slumped over, leaning heavily on the doorframe, out of breath. His hair had been chopped short, tufts of it sticking out everywhere. But what made Sebastian flinch was when the reaper looked up. Grell had a huge, white scar over his left eye, the once shining green being replaced with a dull, almost white iris. His lip had a long scar running down from it and he was holding his side tightly with one hand, the other hanging limp at his side. He had been changed out of his usual outfit and replaced with just a pair of slim fitting trousers, which were ripped in many places, and he was barefoot. It was only upon looking at Grell's chest did everyone suddenly realise where he'd been the past year. Not one inch of his body was free of scars. Some were overlapping older ones, and some were still bleeding.

Grell looked up, his vision a blur without his glasses. He looked around the shop, recognising the Undertaker, Ciel and...

"Sebastian?" He managed to whisper, his voice a lot deeper because he didn't have the energy to make it higher and more feminine, before everything went black.

The demon was just able to catch Grell as he fell, holding him carefully as he didn't know if he was hurting him more. Gently, he picked the unconscious reaper up and set him down in huge back room, where the Undertaker had rushed off to to prepare his medical supplies.

Ciel followed, silently. He saw the shock and almost relief in Sebastian's eyes when Grell walked in, and finally figured out what the demon had been distracted by all this time. In a way, he felt a bit guilty; If he had ordered Sebastian to go and find Grell in the first few months, Grell's life wouldn't be hanging in the balance. But Ciel had to remind himself that Grell was the annoying reaper who swooned over his butler the second he saw him. Even when he thought that, Ciel didn't feel any less guilty.

Sebastian, in the meantime, had carefully layed Grell on a table, his eyes examining every inch of the reaper, trying to determine how injured he really was.

The Undertaker pushed past the butler, quickly attending to Grell's wounds on his chest, then asked Sebastian to roll him over. Ciel and Sebastian both gasped at the obvious whip wounds on Grell's back.

"Who could have done this to him?" Ciel asked quietly, breaking the stunned silence.

The Undertaker shook his head, "I do not know. We'll just have to ask him when he awakes."

"Where will he go?" Ciel asked him.

The ex reaper turned to the teenager, "He needs to be hidden. We don't know if the kidnapper took Grell from the reaper realm so we can't take him there. I see now that the recent killings are linked to Grell: the kidnapper wants him back, but cannot find him. He takes the woman who maybe, look a bit like him and when he finds out it's not him, kills the women."

Ciel felt rather sick. He shook his head and turned away. "What kind of monster would do this..." He whispered.

Sebastian, looking at the emotions running around his master's face, turned to the Undertaker, who was bandaging Grell's chest and back.

"The Phantomhive Mansion is quite safe." He offered, glancing at Ciel who turned around. The Undertaker nodded, looking up.

"It is. If he were able to stay there until he heals properly, or the kidnapper is caught and brought to justice, he will be safe. Besides, there is no better protection than a demon."

Both Sebadtian and the Undertaker turned to look at Ciel, who had his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Fine." He said finally, "He may stay. But if he stops any of my staff from working to the right level" He looked pointedly at Sebastian, "Then he must go"

Sebastian nodded, "Yes, my lord" he said, turning back to Grell and helping the Undertaker patch him up. After about ten minutes of working, Grell's wounds were finally stitched and healing.

"His left eye had been slashed" The Undertaker explained, chewing idly on another dog biscuit, "And grown back a different colour. From the greyness of the iris, I doubt he is able to see out of it."

"So he's blind?"

"No. Not entirely. His right eye has vision, but he may still need glasses, like he did before."

"We'll just have to see when he wakes up" Sebastian said, looking down at the still unconscious reaper.

"Indeed"

It soon became very late and Ciel needed to go to bed. He could see that Sebastian was reluctant to leave Grell's side, so ordered him to stay with Grell until he wakes up then to take him to the mansion. Sebastian nodded and called Finny to take the young master home.

About an hour afterwards, Sebastian and the Undertaker were talking in the front of the shop. They were allowed the freedom of conversation as Ciel had left.

The Undertaker was very curious as to why Sebastian had stayed so long and he replied that Ciel was a very innocent and pure soul, and would make a meal so filling that he wouldn't have to eat for at least another hundred years.

"Fascinating..." The Undertaker chuckled, happily taking a sip of his tea. Sebastian looked down at the cup in his own hand, taking a sip himself.

"I have always wondered Sebastian..." The Undertaker started, getting the demon's attention, "Can you eat regular food? I have seen you with a cup of tea plenty of times, and have wandered if they held any pleasure of taste for you?"

Sebastian shrugged, "I can taste human food, although most of it is too sweet for my liking. The one food I do enjoy is meat. It's a good substitute for demon food if none is at hand."

The Undertaker was about to say something, before he heard a groan in the back room. Both cups of tea were flung to the side as both demon and reaper ran into the other room, finding Grell with his hand on his head, trying to sit up.

"Grell?"

The red head turned his head, green and grey eyes blinking between the two men standing there for a moment. "Sebastian...Undertaker..." He muttered.

Sebastian immediately knew something was wrong. He never called Sebastian or the Undertaker by their full names.

"How are you feeling?"

Grell shrugged, "Like I've been tortured for a year" He said, not even a smile gracing his face. He was entirely serious. Something that didn't suit Grell at all. He should have been smiling through the pain, like he always did, being over dramatic and swooning over the two good looking men standing over him. Nothing.

Everyone was silent for a long time, both uninsured men staring at Grell as he himself stared at the wall opposite.

"I have to get back to work.." He said finally, in a small voice.

"You can't do that until you're fully healed" Sebastian replied, "You're staying at the Phantomhive mansion until you can go back to work"

Grell frowned, "Who did you have to kill to get Ciel to say yes to that?" He asked.

"He agreed with a bit of persuasion, young reaper. I suggest you go with the Demon Butler. You'll be safe from your kidnapper"

After a moment, Grell nodded, "Alright." He muttered, swinging his legs around to touch the floor, "I may need some help walking. My ankle feels sprained"

Sebastian rushed forward, Grell threw an arm around his shoulders and together they managed to stand the reaper up.

They said goodbye to the Undertaker, who promised to visit in a few days to see how Grell is, and left the shop.

"Thank you, Sebastian" Grell muttered as they walked through the alleys, heading towards the edge of town so Sebastian could run them both back to the mansion.

Sebastian frowned, "Whatever happened to my nickname?" He asked, silently admitting that he missed Grell using it.

"I thought you hated it"

Sebastian stayed silent, looking over at the reaper as he struggled to walk independently.

"I can carry you from here" Sebastian said as they reached the edge of London. Grell nodded and stepped away to let the butler pick him up bridal style, staying silent.

Sebastian frowned again, "There was a time where you would have died to have me pick you up like this"

Grell sighed, "There was a time where I wasn't in pain through my whole body"

Sebastian growled quietly, "When you are safe, I will find the devil who dared to do this to you, and make him die in a pool of his own blood"

Grell looked up, his eyes full of confusion, "Why?" He whispered, "You hate me, Sebastian"

Sebastian stilled, the only times he'd seen Grell he was hostile and rude towards him, but now he couldn't even think about being mean to the reaper.

"Maybe I've changed" he finally replied.

Grell shook his head, "Impossible. No one likes me. No one ever will" he said sadly.

Sebastian slowed his running, by the gates of the Phantomhive manor, "Do not speak lies, Grell."

Grell was gently lowered to his feet, still leaning heavily on the demon for support, "I'm not. I was gone for a year and no one ever bothered to look for me"

Sebastian tightened his hold of Grell angrily, but loosened his grip after the reaper gasped in pain, "I /tried/. I did. My master forbade me after a while to stop running off at night"

Grell looked up at Sebastian. "You...tried to look for me?" He asked, not believing that the demon he thought hated him would even bother to search for him.

"Of course I did" Sebastian said gently, walking Grell to the servant entrance and entered silently. It was well past midnight and the other staff would have been asleep. He walked through the hallway, heading for his own room.

Grell stayed silent, looking around the halls. They got to Sebastian's room and entered. Sebastian left Grell sitting on one of the chairs to get the bed ready.

"Sebas-chan..." Grell started, Sebastian's heart gave a little leap at the use of one of his old nicknames, "...Is this /your/ room?"

Sebastian nodded, putting the bed warmer in the fire to heat up, "Yes. I need to keep an eye on you, so there's no better way than to have you stay in my room. My master has only agreed to have you stay if you don't distract anyone from their work. So you are allowed out around the mansion, but don't cause any distractions"

Grell nodded, slowly getting up and limping over to the door to the bathroom. Sebastian was just folding down the covers in the bedroom when he heard Grell sigh.

"Grell?" He called, walking into the en suite, "Are you alright?"

Grell was staring in the mirror, looking at his hacked hair.

"My hair looks horrible."

Sebastian hummed in thought, walking over to the bath and began to run it, when it was done, he turned back to see Grell still staring in the mirror at himself.

"Here, come on" he said, helping Grell undress whatever shabby clothing he had on, deliberately not staring further down than his chest, and helped him into the bath.

Grell, trying not to blush at being naked around Sebastian, but not the reaction he would have had a year ago.

He sat in the bath, stock still as Sebastian washed the dried blood and dirt of his body, ghosting over the scars that had been exposed when he took the bandages off.

Sebastian stayed silent, worrying over the reaper. Soon, he was completely clean, save for the scars and wounds on his body, which he noticed went down to his knees as well.

He looked up at Grell's hair and hummed in thought again, walking to a cabinet and getting some scissors.

Without asking for permission, he started evening out the reaper's hair. The shortest bit was just above his shoulders, so he cut the rest of his hair to fit, also cutting in some bangs for Grell as he knew he liked them.

Grell stayed still until Sebastian offered to help him out of the bath. He did and left the reaper sitting on the toilet to get a nightgown for him to wear. When he returned, he found Grell standing by the mirror again, looking at his now even hair.

"Thank you, Sebas-chan." He said seriously.

Sebastian frowned and crossed his arms, "I need you to do something for me" he said, equally as seriously.

Grell immediately froze and turned around, a frightened look on his face, "Anything, Sebastian, please don't hurt me..." He whispered, closing his eyes and turning his face away as if he was expecting a slap.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Grell" Sebastian immediately said, stepping forward, "I wanted you to smile. You haven't since you woke up"

"I've forgotten how to..." The reaper said in a small voice.

Sebastian placed a gentle hand on Grell's bare arm, making him flinch, and rubbed it reassuringly. "You are safe here. No one will hurt you."

"You're too nice. You're not the Sebastian I knew."

The demon shrugged, "Everyone can change" he said, helping Grell get dry before reapplying the bandages around his chest and slipping the nightgown over his head.

He helped the injured reaper back into the bedroom and into bed, leaning him up against the headboard.

"Do you have to get ready for tomorrow?" Grell asked, and Sebastian could read on his face that he was scared of being left alone.

"My duties can wait until tomorrow. I have an injured reaper to look after" He said, beginning to strip his butler uniform, folding it neatly. When he unbuttoned his shirt, he turned back to Grell and saw the reaper staring at him with a small smile on his face.

"I knew you hadn't forgotten how to smile"

Grell immediately stopped smiling, turning away with a blush on his cheeks.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

"The Grell I knew wouldn't apologise for that. He'd keep staring."

Sebastian stripped his shirt and trousers, leaving his underwear on as he walked over to the bed and got in beside Grell, who turned to him in surprise.

"What are you-"

"This is my bed, Grell. Therefore I'm sleeping in it"

"Oh...should I..."

"No. I invited you to stay in my bedroom, meaning I didn't mind sharing a bed with you. Besides, I thought it would have given you a sense of security for me to be here while you sleep"

Grell smiled softly, "You're so sweet, bass-Sebastian"

Sebastian turned to him, eyebrow raised, "What did you call me?"

"Sebastian..."

"No...before that"

Grell blushed, "Bassy..."

Sebastian smiled, "There we go..."

**A/N hey guys:) reviews will be much appreciated, I'm suffering from a three day migraine but managed to get this chapter done, so I hope you love me for that:3**


	4. Recognision

CRASH.

"SEBASTIAN-SAN!"

Grell awoke up a gasp, sitting upright only to immediately regret his decision, feeling the wounds on his chest stretching and some reopening.

"Damn..." He muttered, lifting the nightgown over his head to inspect his bandages. He jumped about a foot in the air when a pale, strong hand placed itself over one of his. Turning his head, he saw Sebastian leaning on one of his elbows, frowning at the reaper.

"How are you feeling?"

Grell scoffed quietly, turning to get out of bed, "I must report back to the Dispatch."

Sebastian was instantly standing infront of him, fully dressed in his butler atire. "My orders were to look after you until you recover. You're not to leave the mansions premises." He said firmly, cringing inwardly when Grell flinched and curled into himself on the bed.

"Grell..." He started, softly this time, "You're in no condition to work. Please stay in bed for today, I need to attend to whatever mess the servants have gotten themselves into and then serve my master. I will return to you as soon as I can."

After a moment, the red reaper sighed and nodded. "Alright" he muttered, "I'll stay here"

Sebastian smiled, "Thank you" he said, looking down at the reaper as he moved so he was leaning against the headboard, blinking fast. A thought suddenly accurd to him. He strode over to his desk and pulled out his pair of glasses he used when teaching his young master and held them out to the reaper. "Here. See if these help"

Grell took them gently and slipped them on his nose, blinking as he looked around his surroundings. "They help greatly, thank you, Sebastian."

Sebastian frowned, "What did I say last night?"

Grell glanced up at him, the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he corrected himself. "Thank you...Bassy"

Sebastian smiled in content. "I will return shortly. If you wish I can have Mey-rin bring some books from the library to keep you entertained" and with that, the butler left the room, swiftly going to the kitchen, where a couple dozen plates were nothing but a pile of broken china on the floor.

The demon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with annoyance before looking over at the maid, who was trying to clean up the mess shed made in a blind panic. "Mey-rin, what have I told you about using a stool to put the plates away?"

The maid looked up, startled as he didn't realize the butler was standing there. "Ah! Sorry, Sebastian-San! She rambled loudly. "It won't happen again, Sebastian-San, no it won't!"

Sebastian rolled his eyes, knowing full well there was no truth to what she said. "Tidy this up. Quickly. We have a guest in the mansion and the Phantomhive Manor would not have the right reputation if he were to see broken plates because of a clumsy maid"

Bard, who was watching silently from behind the kichen counter, spoke up. "Guest? I wasn't informed of any guest?"

Sebastian turned to him, "Indeed. He arrived last night. The Young Master knows that the Guest is very injured and has ordered me to take care of him until the time of his full recovery."

Mey-rin, finishing clearing up the plates, stepped closer. "Where is he staying? I dusted the guest bedrooms this morning and he wasn't in any of the rooms" she asked, confused.

"He is staying with me in my private quarters. He is...let us say...not the usual Guest the Phantomhive Manor usually hosts for. But even so, if he appears to need anything, dont hesitate to get it for him."

"YES SEBASTIAN-SAN" Both maid and chef called, standing to attention before going about their morning chores.

Sebastian quickly got Ciel's breakfast together and brought it up to the teenagers room, knocking quietly before entering. To his surprise, Ciel was already awake and dressed, without his eyepatch, as he was unable to put it on himself.

"I see you're already up, young master. Did you not sleep well?"

The teen, still looking a bit queesy, shook his head. "I did not, Sebastian. I was troubled by the sight of the reaper. How is he?"

Inwardly surprised that Ciel would even care about Grell, Sebastian walked forward, placing his breakfast on Ciel's lap. "Grell is doing well. I suspect some of his wounds will need re-stitching, as he was very rudely awoken this morning by Mey-Rin and moved very suddenly. Other than that, he is on a sure way to recovery, Master"

Ciel nodded, taking a sip of his tea, staring into space in deep thought. "Recovery physically or mentally?" He finally muttered.

Sebastian stilled for a moment, turning to the teenager, "Although physically, Grell is on a way to recovery, I can only see the mear traces of his old personality. Hopefully, given time, he will resort back to his old self"

Ciel scoffed, "His old, annoying self"

Sebastian smirked, "Even so, master, I think you are secretly worried about the reaper's well being, are you not?"

Ciel coughed on his tea in protest, "I am not!" He said quickly, before collecting himself. "He has helped us on numerous cases. He may be a valuable pawn to use. He has knowledge that exceeds even yours and he is the only reaper who would willingly give away the information to us"

Sebastian's smirk stayed in place as he tidied the room a bit, deciding not to say anything against what Ciel had said. He walked over and gently tied the eyepatch around the teen's head.

After he finished, he straightened up to let Ciel stand. He did so and looked at Sebastian, having had a growth spurt, he wasn't the small, vulnerable boy he was before, and was able to hold a bit more visible authority over the demon.

"Go and check on him. I have seen him eat before so make sure to keep his stomach full. You can find me in the study afterwards." He said, before grabbing his new, longer cane and walking out of his room.

The demon smiled, returning down to his chambers where he found Grell asleep in his bed. Sebastian worked out he must be exhausted, not knowing what truly happened when he was in captivity, and made a mental note to ask him later when Grell wasn't so mentally tired.

He walked over to the bed, frowning for a moment. Besides the nightgown the reaper was wearing, the demon noticed the only other thing he had were the torn trousers he had been found in. Walking over to his wardrobe, he rifled through his clothing - not understanding why he had so many clothes, as he was always in his butler uniform - and managed to find a red shirt.

Smiling to himself as he knew Grell would appreciate the colour, set it on the chair with a pair of slim fitting trousers. It was when he wa folding them neatly did he hear a shuffle on the bed, turning he saw Grell stretch and rub his eyes, yawning.

Grell put Sebastian's glasses back on, he noticed the demon. "Sebas-chan" he muttered, yawning again, "What are you doing?"

Sebastian took the clothes from the chair and brought them over to the bed, "Here. These should surfice until I can find some more clothes for you"

Grell smiled faintly at the sight of the red shirt, normally he would have squeeled, hugging the shirt to him as he grinned, but none of that happened.

"Tha-"

"Stop thanking me."

Grell froze, his eyes wide in sudden fear, "I-I-I'm sorry, Sebastian" he stuttered, lowering his head.

Sebastian sighed and sat down on the bed beside the reaper, "It's not like you, Grell." He said gently, "I want to see the old Grell"

Grell sniffed, "No one liked him" Sebastian noticed, possibly for the first time, that Grell had stopped referring to himself as a woman, which made his heart feel slightly heavier.

"I told you no lies." Sebastian replied, reaching under Grell's chin to gently bring his head up again to look into his eyes. "The old Grell, granted was a little annoying at times, but was a light in the darkness. He was incredibly optimistic about almost everything, and very passionate about everything he loved. It's hard to find someone with that much emotion nowadays" The demon didn't exactly know what he wa saying, but deep down he realised that everything he said was true, and that he felt exactly the same way about the reaper. What was this feeling?

Grell wiped one of his eyes, sniffing again, "D-Do you really think so?" He asked quietly, almost as of he was afraid of the answer.

"I wouldn't have said it otherwise"

Grell's lips began to twitch upwards, then they turned into a smile. A proper one. Grell blushed, obviously not able to stop himself. Sebastian chuckled at the sight.

"There's the old Grell"

Sebastian stayed with Grell for a while, both sitting on the bed making small talk. The demon came to realise that he and Grell had quite a lot in common. They both loved the 1920's, and shared stories about their adventures to different countries. Sebastian, while telling a particularly embarrassing story which included him and a very feisty koala bear, he began to see the old Grell slowly coming back. The reaper was laughing quietly, wrapping his arms around his knees as he intentively listened while Sebastian talked.

Soon enough, Sebastian had to return to his work, and left Grell to start making lunch. Halfway through his task, he remembered Grell was probably pretty hungry and quickly made a sandwich, going down to his quarters, only to find the red reaper absent from the room.

A small shiver of panic ran through the demon as he searched the bedroom and the adjoining rooms, only to find Grell's nightgown and the clothes he'd laid out gone.

Sebastian exited the room, searching the entire servant's chambers. He'd smelled no scent of another demon or intruding human in the room so Grell must have left on his own. For some reason, Sebastian felt his heart become heavy at the thought of Grell returning to the Dispatch without even saying goodbye. God, Sebastian, pull it together. You're a demon. You're not meant to feel emotions.

Going up to the main part of the mansion, he entered Ciel's office, finding the teenager writing on some documents. The young man looked up, frowning.

"Sebastian? What is it?"

Sebastian straightened himself up and bowed slightly, "My apologies for barging in, Master, but I was wondering if you have seen Grell recently, he seems to have gotten bored with being in the room and wandered off.

Ciel sighed, smiling slightly as he shook his head. "No, I haven't, but he mustn't have gotten far. He's still injured, I'm fairly sure he can't use his Shinigami Powers to transport himself back to the Dispatch.

Sebastian frowned, he hadn't thought of that. "Again, my apologies, master, I'll search the mansion"

Ciel nodded dismissively and Sebastian left the room, looking in every room as he made his way to the kitchen. Eventually, having asked the entire work force, he found Grell snuggled in a chair in the enormous library, gently chewing the end of his thumb as he read Hamlet.

Sebastian sighed in relief and entered the room, going right up to the reaper. "Grell….Grell? GRELL!"

Grell jumped about a foot on the air, his eyes wide in terror as they turned to the demon, "Oh, Sebastian. I-I'm sorry for wandering off."

Sebastian immediately thought it wasn't a good idea to have shouted, as Grell looked incredibly paranoid, glancing quickly around the library, his hands shaking slightly.

"It's fine. I came to ask if you would like anything to eat? I have made a sandwich but if you are still hungry, you are welcome to eat with the young master in half an hour."

Grell looked up and nodded, "Than-" He started, before remembering Sebastian had told him to stop saying thank you. "I'd like that, Sebastian"

The demon smiled, handing over the sandwich before sitting in the chair next to the one Grell was perched on.

"Hamlet." He said, reaching the spine of the book. "A fan of Shakespeare?"

Grell smiled, gently stroking the cover of the book, "More than just a fan. He was one of the best writers there have ever been. I knew him briefly. He was a very nice man"

Sebastian watched Grell's eyes light up as he talked, seeing the spark that was there before. "I am a big fan of Shakespeare as well, but I never got the privilege to meet him. I wasn't contracted to anyone in the time when he was alive."

Grell glanced at Sebastian with a small smile on his face, "You would have liked him...I actually got to reap his soul when he died. He didn't put up a fight. He accepted it like the gentleman he always was. And the memories he had…" Grell closed his eyes and smiled, recalling the glorious moment when he got to look through Shakespeare's entire life in his cinematic records.

"You're a very lucky reaper"

Grell's smile faded and his eyes opened, the spark gone from them as he unconsciously touched the bandages around his torso, "I've never been lucky…" He muttered.

Sebastian sighed, "Yes you have. You're one of the best reapers out there. I won't be surprised when you become a legendary Shinigami like The Undertaker."

Grell blushed slightly, gently biting his lip to stop his sharp teeth from cutting the skin. "You're the first person to say that to me. Every other reaper hates me. They probably have all forgotten me by now."

"What about that Robert boy?"

"Ronald?"

"That's him."

Grell shrugged, "He was my student at a time, and when he finally got into the job, he became my friend, or something close to a friend. But he was always so loyal to Will. He looked up to him, like he did me at one point. I doubt he'll remember me anymore too"

Sebastian moved his chair closer to Grell's and placed his gloved hand over Grell's shaking ones.

"I could contact the Dispatch if you would like? Tell them that you're safe and recovering?"

Grell immediately shook his head, "No...Will will be furious I left for so long"

Sebastian growled, his eyes flashing their demonic pink as he began to get angry. "You were being tortured, Grell. William has no right to be angry."

Grell closed his eyes, one of his hands turning under Sebastian's to grip it tightly, like a lifeline. "He will still get angry. He has never liked me."

"I don't see why" Sebastian said quietly, calming himself down and hoping at the same time to cheer the reaper up.

Grell smiled faintly, "You're very sweet, Sebas-chan" He muttered, placing the book down on the table next to the chair so he could stand up. Sebastian followed suit and stood, not letting go of Grell's hand. The reaper stared down at them, rubbing his thumb experimentally over Sebastian's glove.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" He eventually asked, looking up at the demon. Without his heeled boots, Grell was actually quite a bit shorter than Sebastian, the top of his head coming to Sebastian's eyes.

"You're injured. It would be best if you rest yourself"

"But I want to help. Phantombrat wouldn't have let me stay here without earning my keep"

Sebastian frowned and cocked his head as Grell noticed what he'd said and lowered his eyes. The demon smiled, letting it slide as it would have been something the old Grell would have said and lead him through the manor into the kitchen.

The second they got through the doors, Sebastian dropped Grell's hand, not because he was embarrassed, because he saw Bard trying to cook the chicken for dinner with his -ever trusty- flamethrower. Sebastian surged forward, wrenching the weapon from the ex-soldier's grip and turned it off.

"Bard, what did I say about using your flamethrower to cook dinner?!" He growled, watching the Chef laugh nervously and scratch the back of his neck.

"Eh, sorry, Sebastian. The oven was taking ages to warm up so I thought I'd push it along a bit…"

Grell watched as Sebastian held back a growl, knowing how hard the demon was trying not to throttle the blond Chef. He suddenly felt a gust of wind behind him and a scream. Turning, he saw a mauve-headed maid tripping with a stupidly large amount of crockery in her hands. Using his reaper reflexes, he easily caught every plate and bowl that threatened to hit the ground and finally, used his knee to stop the maid from face-planting the hard floor.

Mey-rin immediately stumbled to stand up, "Sorry, Sebastian-sa-oh...You're not Sebastian-san" She said, finally looking at who had caught the dishes. Grell smiled politely at her as Sebastian came over and lifted some dishes from Grell's grasp, helping him to not overstretch his wounds again. Mey-rin was still staring curiously at Grell.

"Hey...I've seen you before, yes I have"

Grell turned back to the maid, biting his lip, making her eyes widen as she saw a flash of sharp teeth. "I don't know if you have. My name is Grell" He said, hoping that the Mey-rin didn't recognise him as Madame Red's incredibly clumsy butler.

But, as he said, Grell was not a lucky reaper.

"Grell? Like Madame Red's butler"

Grell cringed, nodding. "Yes, I was the Madame's butler for a time."

"Oh…" Mey-rin cocked her head to the side slightly, staring at the reaper infront of her. "I like your hair" She finally said, giving Grell a wide grin before rushing out of the room to escape Sebastian's glare.

Grell frowned, turning to face the demon, "Do you like my hair, Sebastian?" He asked, running his hand through his red locks that only just touched his shoulders. His expression saddened.

Sebastian, sensing it, walked forward and also ran a gloved hand through Grell's hair. "I do. It suits you very well. And it is very feminine even if it is short."

Grell perked up slightly, the ends of his lips twitching upwards.

"You flatter me so, Sebas-chan"


	5. Protection

After Sebastian had eventually cooked dinner, having had a constant battle trying to get Bard out of the kitchen with his flamethrower, he set up the table and called on both Ciel and Grell, who had retired back to the library, to sit down to eat.

Grell winced slightly as he sat down to the right of Ciel, who sat at the head of the large table. Feeling generous that evening, Ciel had agreed to have the servants dine at the table as well, much to their excitement, which was practically radiating off them as they bounced in their seats.

Mey-rin and Finny cheered when Sebastian entered the dining room with a plate full of the well-cooked meat and set it down. Whilst dishing up, Sebastian had to scold Finny and Bard for trying to nick more meat off the plater than their share, and Grell sat silently, smiling at the antics the servants got up to.

Ciel also stayed silent, quietly confused as to why Grell was actually acting polite. Grell caught his eye and turned to face the teen. Ciel, expecting to be insulted or shouted at, got a nice surprise.

"Thank you for letting me stay, Ciel" The red reaper said quietly.

Ciel, concealing his surprise, gave him a polite smile.

"You're welcom-"

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sebastian, who hadn't finished dishing up yet, straightened, about to walk towards the door before Grell stood up.

"I'll go. Keep dishing up, Sebas-chan" He said, walking into the entrance hall and towards the large double doors.

With a wince of pain, Grell swung one of the heavy doors open, his eyes widening as he saw who was behind it.

"W-Will?"

William. T. Spears pushed his glasses up his nose, looking absolutely livid. "Grell" He spoke low and threatening, putting Grell in a slight state of panic. He was going to get hurt. Again.

"Grell what the hell are you doing here?! Where have you been?!" William almost shouted, slowly advancing on Grell with his scythe in his hand. Grell backed away, looking petrified.

"I-I-I-"

"I know what you've been doing. You've been hiding out here for a whole year. You've been fawning over that disgusting demon. What has he done to you?" Will demanded.

"I assure you, I haven't done anything to him" Sebastian said behind Grell, making him jump.

William narrowed his eyes, "You kidnapped him, demon" He spat as Sebastian shook his head.

"I didn't. But someone else did. And you didn't even try and look for him"

William shook his head, raising his scythe. "I don't believe you, filthy demon" He growled, his scythe suddenly wooshing forward, slicing up the front of Grell's shirt and bandages, making them fall away to reveal his numerous wounds and scars.

The black haired reaper grew angrier, rushing towards Sebastian, who had stepped in front of Grell as protection. Somehow, William managed to get Sebastian cornered against a wall.

"I'm going to rip your heart out, demon, like I should have the day I met you"

Sebastian's eyes flashed the demonic pink as William rushed forward, only to see a flash of red as Grell threw himself in front of Sebastian, his arms out wide to protect the demon.

"Do not hurt him, William" He growled, the first time he'd ever used the reaper's full name. "You will not touch a hair on his head because he helped me. He saved my life when you reapers didn't even try and look for me. I was kidnapped, it's true, but not by Sebastian. I was tortured for a year and no one came to save me. Sebastian wanted to, but Ciel stopped him. I would suggest you leave, William, now. Or so help me I will rip your stomach out and make you eat it because you'll have to kill me to get to Sebastian."

Both reaper and demon were stunned to silence. No one had seen Grell be so...so protective before.

Without talking, William straightened up, lowering his scythe. He nodded once, before exiting the Phantomhive Manor.

No one spoke, Ciel and the servants had pooled at the dining room doorway to watch and all were equally speechless.

Eventually, Sebastian moved from the wall, and around the face Grell, who was staring into space, obviously very lost in thought. "Grell?"

The reaper sighed slightly and hung his head for a moment, before lifting it to look at Sebastian. "Yes?" He muttered, keeping his voice low as he was aware that the entire manor residents were eagerly watching from the doorway.

"Do you mean what you said? That you'd let yourself get killed to save me?"

Grell nodded slightly, "You saved me, Sebas-chan, I owe you my life."

"You were the one who saved yourself, Grell. I only patched you up"

"I can see that you would have saved me if you could. And I would have died if you didn't 'patch me up'..." He sighed, looking towards the manor doors, "I suppose I'll have to ask the kid if I can stay a bit longer...until I find a house to myself, that is"

Ciel nervously walked forward, clearing his throat to make both creatures turn to look at him. "Grell, seeing what you just did, seeing how passionate you were about protecting my butler, I have realized that you are a very important soldier. If you wish, you can come and live at the Phantomhive Manor as a guard, once you recover from your injuries, of course"

Grell stared at him with wide eyes, "You...You'll let me live here?"

Ciel nodded, "If you don't distract Sebastian from his work, yes."

The reaper glanced at Sebastian, who smiled and nodded.

"Then I'd be happy to accept that offer...on one condition…"

Ciel raised an eyebrow, "What would that be?"

"I don't have to call you Master."

Ciel smirked, nodding, "Very well. Welcome to the family."

The servants immediately rushed the reaper, hugging him tightly and cheering. Grell smiled, the first proper smile since he came back, until he winced as Finny squeezed his wounds. Sebastian stepped in and pulled the three back.

"Come on. Get back to the table, or you can eat in your quarters."

Grell swore he only saw a smoke outline of the three servants as they sprinted into the dining room.

Ciel chuckled at the commotion and followed the three back to the table. When they were alone, Sebastian turned to Grell, reaching for his hands.

"I want to thank you for protecting me back there, Grell. I never knew you felt that way"

Grell nodded, "Of course I do, Sebastian" He said quietly.

Sebastian smiled, "That's good."

"Why?" Grell frowned.

"Because, in these last couple of days, my views of you have changed a lot and...I feel that, if our rules were reversed, I would die to save you"

Grell's eyes sparkled at the demon's words, biting his lip to hold back a wide smile which came on his face anyway.

"It's a good thing we're both hard to kill." The reaper said, chuckling quietly.

Sebastian smiled down at the reaper, taking his hand as he lead him back to the dining room, where half of the food had already been eaten by the hungry humans.

Grell sat back down, and started eating himself.

"Grell-san?" Finny asked from opposite the reaper.

Grell looked up from inhaling his food, chewing the meat that was in his mouth and swallowing before replying, "Yes?"

"Who was that man?"

"U-Umm-"

"He was a Reaper" Ciel stated calmly, not fazed when the three staff all gasped loudly.

"What?"

"A reaper?"

"What the hell?"

"Yes, a reaper. Or a Shinigami. I suppose, considering Grell is going to be living here you all should know the truth. Reapers, demons, angels...everything like that you thought were stuff of legend? They're all true. In fact, two of which are in this room right now." Ciel explained as both Grell and Sebastian froze.

Mey-rin frowned, looking at Sebastian. "So...Sebastian-san's an Angel?"

Ciel chuckled, "Quite the opposite. He is a demon. I made a contract with him when my parent's died to get revenge on the people who killed them. We also act as the Queen's guard dog, so to speak, and solve and kill every case that threatens London. As for the contract, Sebastian has to do everything I order him to do, and in return, when I get my revenge, Sebastian will eat my soul"

"What?!"

"Your soul?!"

"But...Master!"

"Calm down. I made the contract, not Sebastian. I accepted my own fate. Now Grell" He looked at the reaper, who was trying to make himself look as small as possible. "Grell Sutcliffe is a reaper. His job was to reap and collect souls of the dead and dying and report back to the Shinigami Realm. That man was Grell's superior, William. T. Spears, who came here to find Grell because he went missing for a year. That's the reason I had Sebastian take him back here, because he needs to heal. But now, I'm sure Grell is not welcome back at the Dispatch, so has come to live here"

There was a beats silence, before the air was suddenly filled with three servants shouting over each other.

Ciel and Sebastian let them shout, and after about a minute, everyone calmed down, having got everything out of their system.

"Finished?" Sebastian asked with a smile.

The three nodded, going back to eating dinner.

After dinner, and the servants going into another uproar when Ciel and Sebastian showed them their seals, Ciel escorted himself to bed, having had quite an eventful day and Sebastian walked Grell back to his quarters.

They walked in silence, Sebastian glancing at the reaper every minute or so. Finally, he had had enough of Grell's sad expression.

"Grell, what is bothering you?"

Grell glanced sideways and sighed, "I don't understand why you are all being so nice. I mean, a year ago you would have literally thrown me out of the mansion, threatening to kill me if I ever returned and now…" He took a deep breath in and out, "...Now I'm allowed to live here as part of the family...what have I done to deserve all of this because...I can't see it" He kept his head low, tears escaping his eyes and falling onto his ripped shirt. Thanks to his reaper healing, his wounds had dulled down to red scars. Sebastian stopped the reaper in the darkened corridor to make Grell face him.

"Look. Even if you hadn't disappeared for a year, if you protected the people of this Manor like you did earlier...the outcome would have been exactly the same. None of us actually gave up the time to get to know you. If we did before, we would have all seen how...amazing you are. How passionate, intelligent and helpful you are."

Grell stared up at Sebastian with wide, teary eyes, but he was crying for a totally different reason. "You...You mean it, Sebastian?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't, Grell. And it's because of all the things I've just said that you deserve to be here. You've been without someone who cares about you for too long, Grell."

"You...You...care about me?" Grell whispered, afraid of the answer.

Instead of speaking, Sebastian did what only felt right at that time. He slowly leaned down, lifting Grell's chin up to softly press their lips together.

**"****Yes, I care about you, Grell"**


	6. Surprise

**Hey guys, I am so sorry of how the last chapter turned out. *sigh* this is why I don't trust computers. That's the first time I've used my laptop for updating, I usually use my ipad, and it betrayed me! Anyway, I hope this is more to your liking. I have to point out that even though (hopefully) the glitches have been fixed, I still wrote this in a hurry and at stupid o clock in the morning3**

* * *

After their interaction in the hallway, Sebastian walked Grell back to what was quickly becoming their room, and stayed there until it got dark. The demon heard his master calling him and, kissing Grell quickly on the forehead, he left him to make tea for Ciel, who had retired back to his study.

Sebastian stood next to the teen for a while whilst he sipped his tea. Ciel suddenly lowered his cup and spoke up. "I thought demons could not love."

The butler frowned and looked down. "Most aren't. Most demons are too instinctive and animalistic that they know no other emotions other than hunger and rage. Those who can control themselves and are actually civil - Like me - , are usually the demons who create contracts. When in human form, the demons have to express more emotion than they usually would, so they can obviously fall in love, but it is very rare. Why do you ask, master?"

Ciel smiled slightly and looked up into Sebastian's eyes. "You're in love with Grell, aren't you?"

That stumped Sebastian. He took a moment to reply, straightening up and glancing out of the window into the dark gardens. "I think it might be getting to that stage, master." He said with a small smile.

The teen smiled himself, taking a sip of tea. "At least now you have an incentive to stay in the human world. Or can reapers enter hell?"

"Of course they can. But with Grell's...prefered taste in everything, I doubt he would like it very much."

"Right. What will you do? When you eventually take my soul?"

Sebastian chuckled, "I think the word 'eventually' should be emphasised, master….I do not know, is the answer. This mansion would be empty, so I suppose we could keep it in good condition. There isn't any need to relieve the servants of their jobs."

Ciel nodded, looking down at his tea. The demon smirked and leaned down. "Are you afraid of dying, my lord?"

The teenager looked up with a frown, "Of course not!" He said hotly as Sebastian chuckled more.

"I think you are." Sebastian muttered, his eyes flashing the demonic pink. Just a show to shoot some fear into the teenager. Ciel stiffened and looked down.

"I am not. And I would advise you not to take this further. You are relieved for the night. Now go"

Sebastian smirked, bowing slightly. "Yes, my lord" He said and exited the room, leaving the young Phantomhive to his thoughts.

* * *

Returning back to his quarters, Sebastian realised it was empty. Panicking slightly, thinking Will had come back or something much worse, he sprinted around the mansion, searching every nook and cranny until he glanced out of one of the windows and saw a flash of red in the garden. Stopping his violent search, Sebastian stood and stared at Grell as he slowly walked around the flowers, gently brushing his fingertips along them before sitting down amongst them. Suddenly, Sebastian's attention was drawn to a large grey thing running quickly towards the reaper. Oh no…Pluto. He knew the hellhound was generally good natured, but Sebastian could smell anger on the dog, even from the mansion. Pluto, as the guard dog of the mansion, thought of Grell as an intruder. Sebastian tensed, ready to run down and save the red reaper. Grell had stood up, noticing the huge dog bound up to him. Sebastian watched as Pluto came to a stop infront of Grell, snarling and growling. The reaper didn't seem very fazed, and cocked his head, smiling at the dog. Sebastian's face then turned into a surprised one as Pluto suddenly stopped snarling and began bouncing happily around Grell.

Curious about the entire situation, Sebastian made his way out into the gardens and towards the unusual pair, who were now sitting in the middle of the grass; Grell gently rubbing Pluto's stomach as the dog lay on his back and was happily thumping his tail on the ground.

Grell looked up and smiled as he noticed the demon coming towards him and sitting down on the grass next to him. "Hello, Sebas-chan" He greeted.

Sebastian, happy Grell seemed to be coming back into himself again, looked at Pluto, who hadn't moved from under Grell's hand. That was unusual...The damned hellhound usually jumped at the chance to lick Sebastian's entire face. But now, Pluto didn't even seem to notice him.

"He seems to like you a lot" The butler commented.

Grell chuckled quietly and looked down at the dog, "Well...he /is/ a Hellhound…"

"But you're a reaper?"  
Grell smiled slightly and looked up at the demon, "Not entirely…" He admitted quietly.

Sebastian frowned, shuffling closer, "What do you mean?"

The reaper sighed and looked down, dropping his hand from rubbing Pluto's stomach, who rolled over and, sensing Grell's unhappiness, rested his huge head on the man's lap. "It's the reason I have never been truly accepted by the Dispatch. Everyone else is entirely Reaper...but me...I'm half demon"

The butler's eyes widened, "You're...half demon?!"

"I just said that, Bassy!" Grell snapped, exactly like he would have before he was kidnapped, clearly it was a sensitive subject. Realizing what he had just done, Grell slapped a hand over his mouth, blushing and looking away. "Sorry…" He said, his voice muffled by his hand.

"No. Grell, there is nothing to be sorry for. I was just surprised, is all. I suppose that's the reason behind your sharp teeth…" Sebastian said softly, pulling Grell's hand away from his mouth.

"My mother was a demon" Grell started to explain, relaxing slightly after he learned Sebastian wasn't angry at his outburst. Hesitantly, the reaper leaned sideways against the demon and, when Sebastian wrapped an arm around his waist, practically melted into him. "She was a high class demon, but was shunned by her kind when she fell in love with my father: A reaper." Grell smiled sadly, "I got her red hair and teeth, I got his eyes, apparently, I hardly knew them…But I was always shunned and outcast by everyone else, I always thought it was because of my personality they did it, but found out that everyone wanted to stay clear from a thing that shouldn't have even been born…"

Sebastian listened quietly, gently rubbing his thumb on Grell's side. It was horrible the amount of pain Grell had been through his entire life, even starting from a young age. He felt a pang of guilt in his heart as he thought that he had also shunned the red reaper, and how he must have thought he was unwanted in both species. "You are wanted now, Grell" He finally replied, looking up at the mansion, "Not just by me, by everyone in this family."

Grell sniffed, looking up at Sebastian, "F-family?"

Nodding, Sebastian smiled, "Yes. As Master Ciel so loves to call it. Despite his cold exterior, he is incredibly sentimental. He feels Bard, Mey-Rin, Finny and Myself act as a family for him, and having him accept you into the House, he thinks of you as a member."

Grell's eyes began to water. He was...wanted?

Sebastian, reading his expression, chuckled, "Yes, you are, Grell"

The reaper scrunched up his nose, "Mind reader…" He muttered, trying to stop himself from smiling.

The butler laughed and pulled Grell closer, only then realizing what the other was wearing.

"Grell...you got your coat back?! How?"

Grell looked down at his long, red coat that he loved so dearly and smiled, "Oh yes, Undertaker came by earlier, that's why I came out here, to greet him. He found my spare coat at the Dispatch and felt the need to give it to me. I am so glad he did. I love this coat so much" He said, happily hugging the coat to himself.

Sebastian smiled, watching the reaper happily. Yes, Grell was almost back to his old self. Usually, the demon would have found the old reaper incredibly unbearable, but, now that he had gotten to know him, Sebastian couldn't wait to have Grell back.


End file.
